Exploitation of novel faradic electrode materials is an alternative implementation for solving the problem of poor specific electrosorption capacity that conventional carbon-based electrodes are encountered in capacitive deionization. Particularly, composite electrode is just an suitable choice because of its potentially high ion-storage ability. Herein, a cyclic voltammetric treatment method with different low limit of potential window were used to manipulate the polymeric conformation and doping level of graphene oxide/polypyrrole (GO/PPy) composite electrode. Based on it, the effect of polymeric structure on the electro-sorption performance was systematically studied. When the low limit of potential window is shifted to a potential negative enough, the irreversible polymeric conformational shrinks of GO/PPy electrode are promoted, which not only hinders the insertion process of ions in the composite matrix, but also decrease the doping level of polymer due to the intensive interchain interaction produced by more entangled polymeric chain. Thus, the number of intercalated ions should decrease, which is expressed by EIS results and is proportional to the electro-sorption capacity of GO/PPy composite electrode in MCDI process. Our work suggest that the less packing density, higher doping level and more charge delocalization on PPy backbone in composite electrode is beneficial to enhance its capacitive deionization performance.
In recent decades, the ever-growing demands for clean water in households and industries have urged researchers to take every possible step to deal with the global water crisis. Seawater desalination has turned out to be the most promising and efficient way to provide clean water. Owing to the advancement of synthetic chemistries and technologies, great success has been achieved in the desalination and utilization of seawater worldwide. China, with the world’s largest population, has pushed the development of desalination and multipurpose utilization of seawater further in respect of materials, technologies and services, etc. This review reports recent progress of desalination technologies accomplished in China, from the viewpoints of facilities and equipment, collaborations, technologies, applications, research abilities, services, and standard systems. Inspired by the Fourteenth Five-year Plan, it also proposes future perspectives of desalination in China.
Seawater desalination (SD) is an effective method to solve the shortage of human water resources. Because of the excellent corrosion resistance of metallic materials in natural waters, as well as the best corrosion resistant, low density, high strength and good heat resistance in seawater, titanium and its alloys are considered the desirable marine material, including in SD equipment. This review introduces material characteristics of titanium and its alloys, and three currently most widely used commercial SD technologies: multiple effect desalination (MED), multi-stage flash (MSF) and reverse osmosis (RO). The applications and prospect of titanium and its alloys in SD industry are overviewed and analysed. This paper can be a reference for the future material selection of SD equipment.
Membrane surface design, especially for the anti-protein fouling property, is vital for the development of synthetic polymer ultrafiltration membranes. Although mussel-inspired antifouling coatings have obtained rapid development, the surface chemical adhesion stability still suffers from weak chemical stability especially in strongly alkaline environment. In this paper, the surfaces of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were modified via traditional polydopamine (PDA) coating followed with polyethylene glycol (PEG) immobilization method and PDA/PEG one-step co-deposition strategy. In contrast to general PDA coating, the fabricated membrane surface exhibits excellent chemical adhesion stability under the different solution environment (whatever in neutral deionic water solution, acidic solution (pH=2) or strongly alkaline solution (pH=14)). The membrane surface elementary composition and morphologies were evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The modified membranes obtained via one-step codeposition were confirmed to have excellent hydrophilicity, enhanced coating stability and good dynamic/static anti-protein adhesion properties. Overall, this work provides a facile, robust and useful bio-inspired anti-fouling membrane surface modification strategy for broadening the application in water treatment field of ultrafiltration membranes.
La-doped carbon nanotubes and valuable C2 hydrocarbon (C2H2 and C2H4) are simultaneously generated in CH4/H2 corona discharge. The analysis of off gas indicates that the addition of anodic alumina membrane shows no influence on plasma methane conversion reactions.
Membrane surface design, especially for the anti-protein fouling property, is vital for the development of synthetic polymer ultrafiltration membranes. Although mussel-inspired antifouling coatings have obtained rapid development, the surface chemical adhesion stability still suffers from weak chemical stability especially in strongly alkaline environment. In this paper, the surfaces of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were modified via traditional polydopamine (PDA) coating followed with polyethylene glycol (PEG) immobilization method and PDA/PEG co-deposition strategy. In contrast to general PDA coating, the fabricated membrane surface exhibits excellent chemical adhesion stability under the different solution environment (whatever in neutral deionic water solution, acidic solution (pH=2) or strongly alkaline solution (pH=14)). The membrane surface elementary composition and morphologies were evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The modified membranes obtained via co-deposition were confirmed to have excellent hydrophilicity, enhanced coating stability and good dynamic/static anti-protein adhesion properties. Overall, this work provides a facile, robust and useful bio-inspired anti-fouling membrane surface modification strategy for broadening the application in water treatment field of ultrafiltration membranes.
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